Pakistan get green signal to play in 2018 Hockey World Cup in India
What's the story?
The Government of India has given its go-ahead to the Pakistan hockey team to travel to the country, and take part in the World Cup, which is slated to take place next year.
In case you didn't know...
Pakistan had missed the Junior Hockey World Cup in 2016 that was held in Lucknow, India after reports surfaced that the Pakistan Hockey Federation did not even apply for the visas.
The heart of the matter
The surrounding Pakistan's participation in the men's Hockey World Cup due to the political tensions surrounding India and Pakistan in recent years have been put to rest as the Government of India has decided to allow the neighbours to take part in the World Cup, according to sources.
Hockey India is said to have contacted the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Home, and Defence, seeking permission for hosting the 16 teams, one of them being Pakistan, for the tournament. While two of them have already given their permission regarding the same, the other one is expected to follow suit soon.
Now, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has to comply with all the requisite procedural formalities with the Indian Government and get the visas approved in time for the marquee tournament.
HI also put a rest to fears that the World Cup was being shifted from Kalinga Stadium. It was revealed that the capacity of the stadium is being increased for the big event and the turf will be relaid. The construction is expected to be complete by the end of May and the pitch relaying process will be complete before the monsoon season.
What's next?
The 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held from November 28 to December 16, 2018, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.
Author's take
The news about Pakistan's participation is a pleasant surprise as they have been one of the major forces in hockey over the years and tensions on political grounds between the rivals should not bring an end to the sporting relations.